Exercise post vsg?

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bikermike5094
bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
For those of you who have been sleeved, how has your exercise been affected? How do you get enough calories to sustain higher energy expenditure. I see people who now run 5ks etc. how do you not bottom out energy wise?

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  • garber6th
    garber6th Posts: 1,894 Member
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    I am doing an hour of cardio 5-6 times a week and strength training 3 times a week. When I saw my surgeon recently, I asked him if it was a problem that sometimes I burn more calories than I eat. He said if I felt ok it was all right. My lab results were great and that was a good sign too. I am still in the losing phase though, and I might have to change things up when I get to maintenance. I would think people who do more like run 5ks etc. would have to find a way to take in more calories without a lot more volume.
  • reneemosley
    reneemosley Posts: 95 Member
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    Nope, although I do not eat the early on 600-800 cals a day I still try for 1100.
    I ran a 10K on Sunday and run 5k+ on a regular basis. I also weight train.
    I may have a few extra calories on big run days, but I don't lack energy or stamina.
  • reneemosley
    reneemosley Posts: 95 Member
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    Hey Bikermike is that picture of you from the Oyster run?
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Nope, The Sturgis motorcycle rally last year.
  • SumoH
    SumoH Posts: 23 Member
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    Not sure about other folks, but I need to eat or I crash pretty hard. On bike rides more than an hour, I need to eat something or I feel terrible as I approach the second hour, so as a rule I try to eat every 25 miles on long rides. I also eat 5 small meals and try to at least net + 1000 calories for the day. I am just over 1 year post op, down roughly 100 pounds and maintaining near my goal weight. Staying hydrated is a constant battle for me, so on work out days, it seems like I am constantly drinking.
  • aylajane
    aylajane Posts: 979 Member
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    I am 3 yrs out, lost 55 (a lot of muscle loss) then regained 20 (all fat) before signing up with personal trainer and getting on track exercise-wise. Been lifting heavy, lots of accessory muscle work, lots of cardio - 6 days a week, 1-2 hrs a day plus a few hikes here and there. My trainer has worked me up from the 1100 I was eating when I started (and was gaining on) to now eating 1600-1800 calories. I have lost 30+ pounds in last 6 months and am currently still losing very slowly - maybe 2 pounds a month at best. But I dont care - I am trying to recomp and build all the strength and muscle I can. My body shape has changed completely in these past few months, and I lose sizes even in months with no weight loss at all. I am so much happier than skinny but weak!

    Yes, I have to eat more to gain muscle and have energy to get through it all NOW. Early on it wasnt an issue as I had plenty of body fat to burn through (started 6 months ago at 40% fat) but now at about 27% body fat I need more calories for energy.

    I eat all day, literally every 2 hrs or so. I "pimp" up my food so I get 150-180g protein to sustain all the muscle work. For example, I add 1/2 serving Body360 Whey Protein crunchies to my greek yogurt and 1/2 serving coordinating flavored protein powder - it triples the protein and doubles the calories in the 5oz yogurt but the volume is still essentially 5oz so I have no trouble eating it. I also make hot tea with a scoop of white chocolate or caramel flavored protein powder instead of milk (much better than a protein shake!). Things like that.

    You have to figure out for yourself whether you have the energy to sustain your current workouts, and that may change over time so you have to reevaluate. Then you have to decide which is more important to you - the number on the scale or the way you look. Once you figure out your priorities, you may decide that increasing calories is important to reaching your goals. It is for me. And personally, I think its totally cool I can eat all day long, consume up to 2000 calories or even more, and still be losing weight since I am burning about 2500 a day generally. And if I need to cut back due to an injury or something, I just have to "unpimp" my yogurt and other foods - same volume with less calories. Its very easy to tailor my calories to what I decide I need at the moment.